Beiträge

The World Climate Conference in Paris is approaching, and though the law on Energy Change & Green Grow is valid and the promise for an energy revolution has been loud and clear, the commitment seems far from being honored yet: The decrees defining the execution of the law are still waiting for their final publication and many representatives of the industry for the information about the new conditions.

Biomethane is one of the most interesting elements of the new energy and circular economy concept: Actually, 14 upgrading plants are connected to the gas grid; their production of 163 GWh per year could rise up to 30 TWh in 2030, with 1400 production units, as French energy agency ADEME is estimating.

In early 2015, during the biomethane conference organized by the German-French Bureau of Renewable Energy, GrDF was estimating, that until the end of 2016, 44 biogas upgrading units could be installed (more detailed info: „An ambitious change„).

Now the strategy commissioner of GrDF, Anthony Mazzenga, announced that the industry will really start in 2017 / 2018 (http://www.environnement-magazine.fr/presse/environnement/actualites/6016/). That seems to be quite enough time to develop the sector. However, the conditions in the new regulatory statutes must enable the industry to realize projects that are interesting also from an economic point of view.

This seems quite revolutionary especially, as the big nuclear industry does not stop its power radiating: EDF just launched a statement of their strategy. They announce the rebuilding of the nuclear power plant park by replacing them until 2015 by 30 … 45 new rectors. Just one day after ADEME had finally published their study, showing that France energy supply can be ensured by renewable sources at 100%.

Only a few weeks before the COP21 in Paris is going to start, the French minister Ségolène Royal has inaugurated an European showcase for innovative circular flow economy: The BIOVALSAN project, the first wastewater treatment plant, utilizing wastewater of a metropolis to produce biomethane.
„With a treatment capacity of 1,000,000 inhabitant equivalents, the Wantzenau Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is the fourth largest WWTP in France. The volume of biogas produced by this facility’s digesters represents a potential energy generation capacity of 16 GWh/year, which is equivalent to the annual needs of 5,000 low-energy consumption homes. Biovalsan’s purpose is to utilise this resource for the Strasbourg community’s benefit, based on a short, local processing model. “ (source: http://biovalsan.eu/)

With regard to the actual development in French energy transition, the minister explained how the promotion of biogas will continue.
The new feed-in tariffs for electricity produced by existing plants will be published in a few days. Biomethan will also get further promotion, as the co-use of BioGNV will become an obligation. If the new tariffs will not lead to reach the goals for rising the biogas production, tenders will be published.

The wish, that with the inauguration of Biovalsan a series of innovative projects will start, is not in vain. There are more French projects proceeding from preliminary studies to planning phase.